Friday, January 14, 2022
Islamabad news advertisment DW newspaper۔ January 14, 2022 - A senior Roman Catholic priest in India is accused of sexually assaulting a nun several times over a two-year period. The pastor was acquitted by an Indian court on Friday, January 14, on the grounds of lack of evidence.
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Father Mulakkal of Kerala
Franco Mulakkal, a pastor from the southern Indian state of Kerala, was accused of sexually assaulting a nun several times over a two-year period.
Significantly, Mulakkal was the first clergyman in India to be charged with sexual assault and to face prosecution and police criminal investigation.
According to the indictment, he was the head of a Roman Catholic mission from 2014 to 2016, during which time he sexually abused a nun several times.
During the trial, Pastor Mulakkal refused to admit the allegations. The court in a one-line decision acquitted Pastor Mulakkal of the charges.
The position of the nun
The accusing nun says that during the exploitative process, she told several church officials about it, but when no proper action was taken, she went to the local police station and informed the police about her sexual abuse. Was
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According to the nuns, her complaint was completely ignored by the church administration. In 2018, the nun formally lodged her complaint with the police.
The nun also said that the police launched their investigation after she and five other female nuns began protesting daily in front of the state high court.
Pastor Mulakkal was arrested by police in September 2018 and was later released on bail. At the time of his arrest, he was the Bishop in charge of the Indian city of Jalandhar.
The victim also informed the Vatican, the Roman Catholic center, of the details.
The alleged rape of a nun was widely reported in the Hindu nationalist Indian media.
The nun also faced strong reactions after being accused by church insiders.
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Christianity in Kerala
This southern state of India is considered to be the birthplace of Christianity in the Hindu-majority country. It is said that a Christian monk and elder St. Thomas arrived in Kerala in the year 52 AD.
He was the first Christian to spread Christianity on Indian soil. At present, India, a country with a population of over one billion, has a Christian minority of 2.3%.
The Roman Catholic Church is facing charges of sexual exploitation in many countries around the world. On this occasion, accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation against the clergy of this Christian faith are heard from time to time. In many cases, court proceedings have also begun. Many pastors have resigned in the face of such accusations.
